Reuters AlertNet Lite - Serb ultranationalist war crimes trial delayed

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Serb ultranationalist war crimes trial delayed

25 Oct 2006 17:54:53 GMT
Source: Reuters

AMSTERDAM, Oct 25 (Reuters) - The war crimes trial of Vojislav Seselj has been delayed to allow the leader of the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party time to prepare his own defence, the U.N. tribunal said on Wednesday.

Seselj, who faces charges of persecution, extermination, murder and torture of non-Serbs in the Balkan wars, had originally intended to represent himself but was banned from doing so in August after disrupting pre-trial hearings.

Last week, the tribunal's Appeals Chamber overturned that ruling saying that although his conduct suggested he would also likely disrupt the trial, Seselj was not properly warned of the consequences of his actions and could speak in his own defence.

A new start date for the trial, originally planned to start this month, will be set at a status conference on Nov. 1.

The court said in August the 51-year-old, who taught political science at Sarajevo University from 1981 to 1984, had used offensive and insulting language, released confidential documents and intimidated potential witnesses.

Supporters of Seselj, who surrendered to the Hague tribunal in 2003, have complained he has already had to wait too long for his trial and charged that the court is biased against Serbs.

Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic died in detention in March just months before a verdict in his marathon trial on genocide charges.

The tribunal said the main reason Milosevic's trial had taken so long was because the court had allowed him to defend himself. Prosecutors said Milosevic wanted to string out the trial to stay in the spotlight.

The Radicals are Serbia's biggest party, with opinion polls giving them 35-38 percent support, although that would not be enough to allow them to govern alone.

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Last updated:Wed Oct 25 17:57:04 2006